Improvement in knitting-machines



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ASA SESSIONS, JR., OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO LAMB KNITTING MACHINE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN KNlTTlNG-MACHINES.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent N0. 45,835, dated September 5, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, AsA SESSIONS, Jr., of Springfield, Hampden county, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Knitting-Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan, Fig. 2 a side elevation, and Fig. 3 an end view, of a machine with my improvements attached.

My improvements relate to that kind of machine'known as the Lamb knitting-machine,77 and patented September 15, 1863, and -consists of a new and improved arrangement for regulating the supply of yarn, and which I will now describe.

To the bed A of the machine I attach the bridge B. This bridge'is slotted and supports the yarn-feeder a, which travels in the slot b, for the purpose hereinafter more fully described. To this piece a the wire arm C is pivotcd at d. This arm passes through the hub c, where a spring, D, presses against it on cach side of the hub, for the purpose hereinafter described. This wire is formed into a loop at the end g, for the yarn to pass through. The hub cis fastened to the bed of the machine by means of arm f, to which it is pivoted. Attached to this armf, and shown in Fig. 3, is a small wire, h, with a loop, m, in the upper end. At the side of this loop I place a spring, k, the purpose of which will be more readily seen in a description of the operation of this invention, which I will now give.

The yarn is passed through the loop m and on through the loop g, and then to the feeder a. Now, as the crank M is turned the slider N is driven backward and forward, bringing the yarn in contact with the needles, as in the ordinary machine. This slide Noperates the needles by means of mechanism technically called a lock;7 which is the same in every particular as the one used on the Lamb knittingm achine, and also operates the yarn-feeder in the manner hereinafter described. The arm C, by its vibrating motion derived from the motion of the slide N, pulls 0H the yarn from the bobbin, and at the same time produces tension thereon just sufficient to keep it from getting entangled.

The object of the slot b is to bring the yarn carrier or feeder a in a position so that it may feed the yarn to the needles s s as they are going down. To do this it is necessary that the feeder a shall be at the end of the slot opposite the end of the machine toward which the slider is tra\\'eling, and for this reasonitis necessary that it shall change from oneend of the slot tothe other with the change of stroke.

In order thatthewire C may not slipthrough the hub c too easily, and thereby not move the feeder a along the slot b, the spring D is placed on the hub c so that it shall press on the wire C with sufficient force to hold it firmly until the feeder a has moved in the slot b, when, owing to the change ot' the parts and the operation of thc machine, thefriction ofthe spring D on the rod C will be overcome and the rod will slip in the hub c.

The spring K, which bears onthe yarn as it passes through the loop of the wire h, is pulled outward by the pressure of the yarn passing over it as long` as the carriage N is passing backward or forward, but gripes it firmly at each end of the stroke and keeps the slack from the needles, and thereby prevents the needles from losing a stitch or-becoming entangled with the yarn.

By comparing this with the old feeding arrangement it will be seen that I have a much simpler arrangement, and consequently not so liable to get out of order, and of much cheaper construction, while at the same time it is surer in its operation, completely overcoming the difficulties and defects ot' the old feeder.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination of the arm C, hub c, and bridge B with the slider N and bed-piece A, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

2. The combination of the wire h or its equivalent andthe spring K, when used in connection with the other parts of the machine, substantially as described.

3. The spring D, when used in combination with the other parts of the machine inthe manner and for the purpose described.

4. The bridge B, slotted as described, when applied to aknitting-machine as and for purpose herein set forth.

ASA SESSIONS, JR.

Witnesses J. B. GARDINER, L. L. DAvIs. 

